KHANDBARI (SANKHUWASABHA), Sept 1: Two hundred and sixty-eight families will be directly affected by the Lower Arun Hydroelectricity Project. The 669-MW project is located in Sankhuwasabha district of Koshi Province. 

According to the draft report, 'Lower Arun Hydroelectricity Resettlement and Rehabilitation', proposed by the project developer company Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, a hydropower generating company of India, nearly 65 hectares of land belonging to the locals is to be acquired for the project.

"Apart from this, 70 hectares of land would be forest area and six hectares public land," said Arun Dhiman, chief executive director of Lower Arun Power Development Company. The Project stated that the affected locals would be provided around Rs 1.40 billion in compensation.

Satluj, the power developer company, has started consultations with the residents of the Project-affected area after the confirmation of the operation of the Project.

The Project will not have any reservoir or dam and will be a tailrace development of the Arun-III hydro project, which will mean water re-enters the river for the Lower Arun project. For this, approximately 17.4 kilometers of tunnel will be constructed at Chewabesi of Khandbari Municipality-2. 

Satluj is also developing the 900-MW Arun-III Project.